Alleged drunk driver strikes, kills Taylor Swift fan on way home from Houston concert
An alleged drunk driver struck and killed a Taylor Swift fan who was heading home from the star’s concert in Houston over the weekend in a horrific hit-and-run crash.
Jacob Lewis, 20, and his sister were driving back from Swift’s “Eras” Tour at NRG Stadium when their car stalled on the Southwest Freeway early Saturday, according to Houston police and family members.
Lewis got out of the vehicle and was pushing it from behind while his sibling sat behind the wheel when the 34-year-old driver, identified as Alan Bryant Hayes, slammed into him and the car from behind, police said.
His sister, April Bancroft, told ABC 13 that she witnessed her brother’s violent death.
“I immediately ran to him and called 911,” she said. “And that was it.”
Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene, while Hayes — who has a history of drunk driving — fled the scene in the black Volkswagen Beetle, cops said.
The driver of a tow truck who witnessed the crash followed Hayes to the 4500 block of Caroline Street where he exited his car and ran off on foot.
He was later arrested by Houston police and taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Jacob Lewis got out of the vehicle and was pushing it from behind when Alan Bryant Hayes slammed into him. Facebook Jacob Lewis and his sister were driving back from the Taylor Swift concert before the tragic incident. Facebook
Hayes was then charged with felony driving while intoxicated (third offense) and failure to stop and render aid.
He was booked on a $90,000 bond.
Hayes was previously charged with DWIs in 2014 and 2015, according to ABC 13.
Bancroft said she is choosing to remember her last moments with her brother singing along to Swift songs rather than the gruesome crash, the local outlet reported.
Jacob Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene when he was fatally struck by Hayes’ vehicle. GoFundMe
“Knowing we had that experience as our last memory is something wonderful to hold on to, and I will forever,” she said.
In the wake of Lewis’ death, fellow Swift fans, known as “Swifties,” banded together to support his family — flooding a GoFundMe page created for his funeral costs with $13 donations in honor of Swift’s favorite number.
As of Monday night, the page had raised more than $93,000.
Alan Bryant Hayes was charged with felony driving while intoxicated (third offense) and failure to stop and render aid. Houston Police
The victim’s father Steve Lewis said his son, who loved singing and playing music, was set to begin his sophomore year in the musical theater program at Sam Houston State University in the fall.
“Jacob will be remembered as a loving and faithful young man who was loyal to his family and friends,” Steve Lewis said in a Facebook post. “His last act was to push his sister to safety on a dark street. There is no way to describe the magnitude of this loss and the emptiness left in our hearts.”
Source: New York Post
